Older Siblings
by fairytaleluver
Summary: Fili, Kili, and the rest of the dwarves are captured by King Thranduil of Mirkwood. Will they be able to escape to finish their adventure? Who is this strange girl who is willing to help them? Fili/OC. Hurt Fili and Hurt Kili too. Please read!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Captured**

_**I wasn't sure what to name my story, so the name might change later….**_

_**Both movie-verse and book-verse. I tried to stay true to the characters. I do not own anything except for Emily and Alyssa. (For those of you who have not read the books, Gandalf has left and Thorin has already been captured by the elves of Mirkwood.) Fili and Kili are my favorite characters. Fili x OC**_

_**This is my first Hobbit fanfic so PLEASE be nice. **___

_**P.S. I don't know if elves poison their arrows or not, but it was important to my story, so I threw it in there.**_

_**I have also edited this chapter as well.**_

_The day after the battle with the spiders Bilbo and the dwarves made one last despairing effort to find a way out before they died of hunger and thirst. They got up and staggered on in the direction which eight out of the thirteen of them guessed to be the one in which the path lay; but they never found out if they were right._

The sunlight was fading fast throughout the forest. The dwarves continued to trudge towards the west, following their burglar. Kili and Fili were at the end of the procession, watching to make sure that the giant spiders weren't following them. Kili thought he heard a rustle and saw a dark shadow dart behind one of the trees off to the right. In the blink of an eye, he unleashed an arrow into the darkness. And for that brief moment, time seemed to stand still.

The answering arrow took everybody by surprise as it hit Kili square in the shoulder. Kili screamed and swayed on his feet. Fili yelled his brother's name and caught him before he hit the ground. The dwarves heard the pain and fear clearly in the calls and ran back to encircle the pair.

Suddenly they were surrounded by the light of torches; hundreds of red stars leaping out of the surrounding darkness. The elves had encircled the company and had their bows drawn and spears ready. Nobody noticed Bilbo slipping the ring onto his finger and disappearing into the night.

Kili let out a low moan as he screwed his eyes shut in pain. There was a small ring of blood that was slowly but surely getting larger. Fili was kneeling by his brother's side hushing the younger dwarf. "It's ok. You're safe," he whispered. "I'm going to protect you." Fili watched in horror as Kili's eyes lost focus and rolled back in his head and slumped against Fili.

A single tall elf stepped out of the tree line. "Lower your weapons and nobody else will be hurt," he proclaimed. Although he did not raise his voice, his command could be clearly heard throughout the clearing.

The dwarves paused; looking towards Fili for leadership. Fili was amazed that the other dwarves thought so highly of him and nodded once. The only sound to be heard was the heavy falls of battle-axes and swords hitting the hard earth. Several elves emerged into the clearing and bound the dwarves in a long line until Fili and Kili were the only ones left. Fili was kneeling on the ground with his brother's head pillowed in his lap. Fili's eyes never left his brother's face and he sat there running his fingers through Kili's long hair as silent tears left trails through the dirt and grime on his face.

Fili didn't notice the woman until she was kneeling in front of him. She spoke quietly but urgently. "Let me take him," she said. "I need to get him back to the King's castle as quick as possible. The arrow was poisoned and he needs urgent attention and care. Care that I am not able to provide here." Fili silently drew Kili closer to himself. "If he does not receive the help he needs and soon, he will die."

Fili sat there for a moment, soaking up her words. He leaned over and gave his brother a soft kiss on his forehead and looked up at the girl. His voice was low and held a deadly undercurrent; "You may take him, but if one hair on his head is harmed, I will find you and I will kill you."

She looked straight into his eyes and gave him a small, sad smile and replied, "I know." A midnight black horse was led into the clearing and she quickly gathered up the reins and mounted with an ease that only comes with years of practice. Fili gathered up his brother with an uncanny gentleness and hoisted him into the saddle in front of the girl and took a small step back. As soon as Kili was secure in the girl's arms, she urged her mount into a gallop calling to her horse: "Noro lim, noro lim, Aerethiel!" The black horse sprang away and sped like the wind deep into the forest and flew towards the Elven King's castle.

Fili just stood facing the direction the girl had gone in; not noticing the elves placing shackles around his wrists and securing him to the long line of dwarves. Once Fili was secured, an elf blindfolded each dwarf and they led their prisoners deeper into the forest. The elves quickly picked up the pace, making the dwarves go as fast as they could, sick and weary as they were, for the king had ordered them to make haste. It was several hours before they could hear the movement of water and crossed over the bridge into the King Thranduil's castle.

_**Please rate and review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Emily**

_**I didn't like my original chapter 2, so this is the new revised edition. I hope you like it. Please review!**_

Many years ago, before Smaug came out of the north and destroyed the dwarf kingdom of Erebor and the human city of Dale, there lived a small family. They lived on the outskirts of Dale. This family, however, was not your typical family, for it was comprised of a man named William and his wife Eirien (an elf), along with their two small children. The oldest was a girl named Emily and her sister's name was Alyssa. Emily was seven years older than Alyssa, but despite their age difference the two were extremely close. Emily was always seen showing Alyssa new plants and animals and teaching her about the world. And it was a rare event to see one child without the other close behind. They were not rich by any means, but lived happy lives full of love and laughter. Eirien had her own special garden that overflowed with many different types of plants and trees. Frequently their mother would gather fruit and vegetables from the garden and take her children into the city of Dale to sell her wares. William worked hard as a farrier and was frequently seen making new horseshoes for the horses and ponies of Dale.

On the morning of that infamous day, William and Eirien along with their two daughters, traveled to the city of Erebor to look among the vendors and potentially buy some new tools for William's workshop. Emily was ten years old and Alyssa was only four and it was going to be the first time that they had ever gone inside the great gates containing the dwarven city.

Emily held her mother's hand and William held Alyssa in his arms during the walk from Dale to Erebor. Emily gazed up in wonder at the two massive dwarf statues guarding the entrance and the banners flapping lazily in the breeze. She watched the dwarf guards keeping a silent watch over the city and the hustle and bustle of dwarves, men, and elves as they moved from vendor to vendor. She was amazed at the sheer number of booths set up. Emily loved looking at everything from the intricate designs and sparkling stones of the jewelry makers to the heavy battle-axes and hammers of the weapon makers. They spent hours just wandering through the market.

Everything was peaceful deep inside the mountain, until horns began to blow, summoning the dwarven warriors to defend their homeland. She heard somebody yell "Dragon!" from far above. Everything seemed to explode. People were running around, screaming. Her parents tried to flee, and they along with many of the other families had almost made it out of the mountain, when the dragon appeared. He gave a deafening roar and started towards them. Both of Emily's parents and her younger sister, the one she was supposed to protect, were crushed under one of the dragon's monster paws.

Emily ran to her parents, but it was already too late. She stood up and looked around at the chaos and devastation. It seemed as if the entire mountain was on fire. The smoke was thick and burned her eyes and throat as silent tears streamed down her face. She didn't hear anybody, until she was swept up into a pair of strong arms and carried towards the entrance of Erebor. The person who saved her was an elf from the forests of Mirkwood and was the chief healer for King Thranduil himself. The elf gathered her in his arms and helped her escape the fiery mountain.

The elf's name was Sellion. He brought her back with him to his home in Mirkwood and raised her as his own; teaching her important skills in healing and medicine. Emily was a fast learner and was soon just as good as her mentor when it came to healing.

Sellion was later killed during the first war of the ring against the Dark Lord Sauron in Mordor.

Seeing the dwarves brought back many painful memories, but Emily knew that she had to help this young dwarf. She was not able to protect her little sister Alyssa, but she was going to make damn sure that the blonde haired dwarf was not going to loose his little brother. She urged her midnight black mare on faster and gave a small thanks to any higher beings that happened to be listening when she crossed the bridge into King Thranduil's castle.

Kili dozed, though the pain of his wound was slowly growing, and a deadly chill was spreading from his shoulder to his arm and side. He let out a violent shiver, but calmed as he felt the gentle arms holding him draw closer and heard a low, sweet voice whispering into his ear. He didn't understand what was said, but he understood that whoever this person was, meant him no harm.

Emily brought her horse to a stop and gently lowered the dwarf into the waiting hands of the King's guard. Emily and the guard ran directly to her room. Her room was nothing fancy. It was small, but comfortable with a warm, bright fire in the fireplace, a small desk and wooden chair tucked into a corner, and a small oak bed in the opposite corner. Along the back wall was a massive bookshelf filled with books of all shapes and sizes. The vast majority of the books had to deal with healing and medicinal plants. Two of the shelves contained jars and dried plants and other creams. She had the guard lay the dwarf down on her small oak bed. Kili let out a low groan as his shoulder was slightly jostled.

Emily quickly filled a pot with fresh, clean water and placed it over the fire. She then went to her bookshelf and withdrew several different types of plants including the short leaves of a plant commonly known as catnip, and long mint leaves. She also withdrew the long leaves of the Athelas plant. She quickly made a paste out of the catnip and the Athelas leaves. The paste was one of her own creations and was specifically designed to reduce swelling and stop any excessive bleeding.

Once the water started to boil, she quickly pulled the pot from the flames and poured some of the water into a bowl. She grabbed a clean rag and dipped it into the water. She quickly, but efficiently managed to remove most of his armor and cut his undershirt so she could get a proper look at his wound. She let out a startled gasp when she saw where the arrow had penetrated. The skin immediately surrounding the arrow was red and enflamed and wept a clear liquid mixed with blood. There was also a trace amount of pus leaking from the wound. The rest of the skin was starting to turn a sickly bluish-purplish tinge, with dark blue streaks radiating outwards from the epicenter.

Emily picked up the wet rag and carefully began to clean the wound. She wanted to make sure it was as clean as possible before removing the arrow in order to try and reduce any probability of future infections. When the wound was clean, she turned back to her desk and set about preparing a tea with the leaves of the Athelas plant and the mint. The fragrance of the steam was refreshing and Emily immediately felt her mind calmed and cleared. She gently held the dwarf's head up and pressed the cup to his lips. Kili was only able to drink a little of the concoction before once more falling into unconsciousness. Kili felt the pain and also the sense of frozen cold lessen in his arm and side.

Emily let out a small sigh, knowing that the worse had yet to come. She bent next to the dwarf's ear and whispered, "I know this is going to hurt, but you need to hold still." She then pressed a strip of leather between his teeth, before placing one hand lightly on his shoulder and the other hand grasped the shaft of the arrow. She took a deep breath and slowly pulled the arrow out. She wanted to minimize the amount of pain the young dwarf suffered, but she also wanted to minimize the amount of damage done by pulling the arrowhead out. She tried to ignore the look of utter agony on his face, with his body arched and head thrown back in a silent scream. It was only a matter of seconds before the arrow came out, but for Kili, it felt like hours. Nothing he had ever experienced before could compare to the pain he was experiencing now. She quickly cast aside the bloody arrow and pressed the wet rag into his shoulder, cleaning the wound as best as she could. She then gently applied the paste to the open and weeping hole, before finally wrapping his shoulder in clean white bandages.

Emily knew that the worst was over, but she also recognized that the dwarf was not out of the woods yet and would require constant supervision in order to prevent a life threatening fever from occurring. She poured cool fresh water into a different bowl and placed a new clean rag in the bowl, before wringing out the excess water and placing it on Kili's forehead.

She then sat in her little wooden chair and did not leave his side for the rest of the night. She constantly held his hand and sang him songs from her childhood, always keeping a watchful eye over her wounded patient.

_**Please rate and review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

_**For those of you who have been keeping up with my story, please go back and reread Chapter 2. I added a little to the first half and added a lot towards the end. I think you will all be happy. Please continue to review!**_

_**I wanted my story to stay true to the original book therefore any words in italicized are direct quotes from The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I do not own these words or his characters. This chapter will be heavily based upon the book.**_

Once the dwarves crossed the bridge, they could hear the great gates of the king close behind them with a loud _clang_. Being blindfolded only seemed to increase the dwarves' nervousness; especially now that they were in the heart of elven country. This was not just any elven country, however. It was the kingdom of Thranduil, one of the dwarves' most hated enemies.

The dwarves could make out the faint red light of torches evenly spaced from behind their blindfolds as they marched silently along. Slowly the elf-guards started singing in their eerily lilting voices and the dwarves couldn't help but feel they were being made fun of. They continued onward, twisting and turning down the echoing paths. The dwarves became increasingly more jumpy as time went on, because although these were a far cry from the tunnels of the goblin cities, they were still deep in enemy territory.

The company instantly noted that a hush had fallen over the elves and the singing had stopped. They also noticed that they had come into a much larger space than the narrow pathways they had been traveling through earlier. They stood stiffly while they waited for something to happen.

What the dwarves did not know was that they were currently in the throne room of King Thranduil himself. The hall was very impressive, with enormous pillars hewn out of the stone and at the front of the room sat the Elven King on a chair carved out of what must have been a very impressive oak tree. The king stared emotionless at his newly captured prisoners, not moving a single muscle. His crown was made up of berries and red leaves collected from the various plants found in his kingdom and in his hand, he held an oak staff.

King Thranduil motioned to his guards to remove the blindfolds and to unbind the dwarves, but only enough so that they were no longer tied to each other. However, the dwarves' wrists were still bound securely in front of them. The dwarves were then all forced to kneel at the feet of the King.

Fili wasted no time in speaking up. "What have you done with my brother?" he demanded as he struggled to his feet.

Without a second's hesitation, the elf that was standing at the King's left side strode up and savagely backhanded Fili across the face. "You will not speak unless spoken to, dwarf." The elf practically spit the word dwarf out as if it were a foul taste on his tongue. Fili was knocked over by the force of the blow and leaned over to spit out the blood seeping from his split lip. The rest of the dwarves growled and tried to protect their leader, but could not due to the other elven guards that kept them where they were.

The king rose from his throne and held out his hand. As if by magic, everybody stopped. "That is enough, Kiridion. It will not happen again." The king spoke quietly, but his voice was one that demanded respect. Kiridion reached down and grabbed Fili's shoulder and roughly pulled him up and pushed him in front of the other dwarves before forcing the dwarf back to his knees. The king just stared at Fili, his face did not portray any sort of emotion. "The young dwarf is being seen by our best healer and is expected to make a full recovery. You, however, are not in a place to be asking me questions."

The king moved slowly away from his throne and walked towards Fili. He could visibly see the rest of the dwarves stiffen as he approached the young dwarf and he couldn't help but smile to himself. It was obvious that the company cared for their young companion and that he was also the leader.

The king slowly leaned down and captured the young dwarf's chin between his thumb and forefinger and drew it up so that Fili was staring him in the eyes. The king could see the small amount of fear and feel a tremble shake the young dwarf. It was not there for long before the emotions changed from fear to anger and determination. The king smiled. This one was going to be fun to break. "I wonder," the king started. "Why are you in my kingdom? It is obvious you were only passing through. Where did you come from and where are you going?"

The only reply Fili gave was the glare that he gave the king. Fili was slightly surprised at himself. He had never truly hated anyone before, but that did not stop him from hating the elf standing in front of him.

The king released Fili's jaw and took a step back from the dwarf. The two guards standing behind Fili reached under his arms and hauled him bodily to his feet. "Turn him around so he can see the rest of the company," the King demanded and the guards quickly obeyed without a word. The elves silently cut Fili's bonds, before retying his hands behind his back.

One elf secured Fili's arms while the other elf viciously punched Fili in the gut. Fili naturally tried to bend over in pain, but the elf behind him prevented any movement. The elf continued throwing punches to his ribs and stomach and the only sound Fili uttered was a soft groan when a particularly sore spot was hit. It wasn't until the elf broke Fili's nose that a single cry went out.

Balin was the first one to break the silence.

"_What have we done, O king?" _asked Balin._ "Is it a crime to be lost in the forest, to be hungry and thirsty, to be trapped by spiders, _to have one of our own shot with a poisoned arrow? Is it a crime to love your family and want to protect them from the horrors of this world? _Are the spiders your tame beasts or your pets, if killing them makes you angry?"_

_This question made the king angrier than ever, and he answered: "It is a crime to wander in my realm without leave. Do you forget that you were in my kingdom, using a road that my people made? Did you not three times pursue and trouble my people in the forest and rouse the spiders with your riot and clamour? _Did not the injured dwarf first fire upon my people? _After all the disturbance you have made I have a right to know what brings you here, and if you will not tell me now, I will keep you all in prison until you have learned sense and manners!"_

"On your feet!" the King ordered. Those who were too slow in struggling to their feet were harshly dragged up off the floor. "Each of you will be put in a separate cell. You will be given food and drink, but none of you will be allowed to leave until someone is willing to tell me all I want to know."

With that the guards ushered them out of the throne room. Only a few of the dwarves noticed Fili's silent suffering, and the ones who did turned to give King Thranduil heated glares as they were escorted to the dungeons.

Once all the dwarves had been conducted out of the throne room, King Thranduil called his closest advisor, Kiridion, to him. "Bring me Emily," the king commanded. "I need to speak with her as soon as possible."

Kiridion bowed low and replied, "As you wish, my king," before turning on his heel and striding purposefully out of the room leaving the King to sit in silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

_**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They really do help. I'm sorry for you guys who think the elves are real jerks. Not all the elves are. There are always going to be some bad apples. I have not revealed everything about Emily. She still has a few more secrets up her sleeves.**_

_**Please keep reviewing!**_

Kiridion strode purposefully down the many winding passages towards Emily's room. She had enthralled him ever since she first arrived in Mirkwood, but was continually able to resist his charms. This frustrated him to no end, because he felt that he had to have her. She was extraordinarily unique and not simply because she was half elf.

Kiridion saw Tauriel slip silently into Emily's room. Emily and Tauriel had become best friends during their time in Mirkwood and considered each other sisters. Tauriel was the head of the Mirkwood Elven Guard and was about 30 years older than Emily, but elves measure time differently than humans.

He quickly slowed down and stepped as quietly as he could up to the door and pressed his ear to it. He could hear the quiet singing on the other side of the door. He closed his eyes and listened. Emily's voice was by far the most beautiful he had ever heard and he gradually felt himself relax to the faint sound of it. "I could just sit here and listen to her forever," he thought to himself, but the King's order quickly reminded him why he had come. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

The singing stopped and the door opened, revealing a suspicious Tauriel. "What does the King require?" Tauriel asked with a small bow. She was wary of Kiridion partly because he was the King's second in command and partly because he was incredibly short tempered. He had also shown that he was not afraid to wield that power against anybody who angered him.

Kiridion quickly glanced into the room at the dwarf sleeping quietly on the bed and Emily gently wiping his brow. "The King wishes to see Emily in the throne room," he said. Tauriel's eyes narrowed slightly before walking back into the room.

Emily glanced up as Tauriel came to stand behind her. She stood up and gave her friend a hug whispering, "Look after him" into her ear before walking towards the door where Kiridion was standing. Emily bowed her head to show her respect before following him to the King's throne room.

She took a deep breath as she came to the massive doors. The two elves standing at the entrance gave her a reassuring glance before resuming their watch. Kiridion threw open the doors and walked confidently into the throne room before taking his place next to the King.

Emily quietly followed Kiridion into the throne room and stopped in the center. She gave a quick bow and patiently waited for the King to notice her. She did not have to wait for very long.

"How is the injured dwarf doing?" the King asked.

"He is still unconscious, but as long as he doesn't get an infection he should make a full recovery, your highness," she replied.

"He hasn't regained consciousness at all?"

"No, not yet."

The king was silent for a moment before replying, "Please send someone to inform me the moment he wakes up. However, I need you to do something else for me."

"Anything, your highness" Emily replied.

"There was another dwarf injured today. I believe he might have some broken ribs. I need you to go to the dungeons and check on him. Kiridion will show you which one. You are dismissed." And with that the King turned to some papers one of his many advisors had handed him earlier.

Emily felt a flash of anger go through her. She did not approve of torture and she knew that was what had happened to the poor dwarf. She could only guess at what state he would be in when she arrived. She hoped he wasn't terribly injured. She bowed and followed Kiridion silently out of the throne room.

Once the massive doors were shut, Emily quickly stopped Kiridion and asked, "Is there any way I can stop by my room first? I need to pick up a few salves before heading to the dungeon."

"Of course," Kiridion replied with a smile.

Emily tried to ignore the shiver that was trying to make its way down her spine. "He looks like a snake when he smiles," she thought to herself. She hurried back to her room giving Tauriel a quick smile while grabbing a couple different jars of salve and some fresh bandages. She stuffed everything in a small brown bag and rushed back to Kiridion, who was waiting patiently outside her door.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied. She hated going into the dungeons. They were dark and damp and gave her the creeps. She couldn't stand to see anybody or anything suffer. She knew what it was like to suffer and wanted to prevent anybody else from having to go through it.

She followed Kiridion through the many winding passages that slowly became narrower and narrower. They finally came upon a barred door and entered into a small guard station. The guard quickly popped to attention and they talked in hushed tones while Emily just stood silently by the door. Kiridion turned towards her and said, "I apologize, but I must be off, my lady. The guard will unlock the dwarf's cell for you."

The guard led her to the darkest and dampest cells. "How many dwarves are being kept down here?" she asked.

"Twelve. But that doesn't include the injured dwarf. So thirteen total," he replied nonchalantly unlocking the cell door and holding it open for her. She could smell the blood wafting from the cell.

She stepped into the doorway and sent up a silent prayer. It was the blonde haired dwarf. He was sitting with his back against the wall of the cell. His head was tilted back, eyes closed, and his mouth was stretched in a tight firm line. She could clearly see the lines of tension and stress on his face. His blonde hair was disheveled and braided and his face was coated in dried blood from the broken nose. It looked like he had tried to wipe it off, but the blood still managed to run down his neck and into the tunic he was wearing. His right leg was propped up and his arm rested lightly over his knee. His left hand rested gently on his lap. Emily thought he had looked young before, but he looked even younger when he was asleep.

Emily quietly bent down to touch his wrist, but his eyes flew open and he grabbed her wrist. The grip was strong, but it was not painful. The guard stepped up to rescue her, but Emily quickly stopped him and sent him for a bucket of fresh water. His eyes were incredibly blue and disoriented. They stayed like that, just staring into each other's eyes. The confusion and disorientation slowly drained from his eyes and were quickly replaced with concern. "How is he?" he asked in a deep voice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

_Emily quietly bent down to touch his wrist, but his eyes flew open and he grabbed her wrist. The grip was strong, but it was not painful. The guard stepped up to rescue her, but Emily quickly stopped him and sent him for a bucket of fresh water. His eyes were incredibly blue and disoriented. They stayed like that, just staring into each other's eyes. The confusion and disorientation slowly drained from his eyes and were quickly replaced with concern. "How is he?" he asked in a deep voice._

"The arrow is out and he is recovering," Emily replied calmly. "What is your name?"

The dwarf narrowed his eyes. "Fili. And yours?"

"My name is Emily."

Fili was able to relax a little more now that he knew Kili was going to be ok. Emily did not move a muscle as he released her wrist and moved his hand up to gently touch her hair.

Fili did not have a chance to really examine the girl when they were in the clearing. He had been too concerned about keeping Kili alive. Fili took this time to really look at the girl. The first thing he noticed was that the girl was short. Fili was considered fairly tall by dwarf standards, even though he was shorter than Thorin. This girl was about two inches shorter than he was, which he assumed was really short by elf standards. She had golden blonde hair, not the white blonde usually associated with the elves of Mirkwood. Her hair was also shorter than most elves. It was about shoulder length and the ends gradually flared up and away from her face. He couldn't resist a light touch. It was very soft and fine as well. She had the flawless skin of the elves, but she also exuded a warm confidence that the others didn't. She also had bright blue eyes. Needless to say, he was intrigued.

"What are you?" Fili asked with a look of complete curiosity.

Emily let out a small chuckle. Fili tilted his head slightly in confusion. "It's nothing," Emily replied with a smile. "I get this question a lot. I am half elf and half human."

Fili put his hand down and drew closer to the wall behind him as if suddenly remembering the events of the past few days. His eyes filled with suspicion. "Why are you here?" he asked.

Emily sat down giving Fili some extra space. "I was told that you were injured today. The King asked me if I would look at your wounds."

Fili let out a snort. "Injured, huh? Tortured is more like it. I don't need any help from an elf."

Emily sprang to her feet in a rage. "Unless you haven't realized it, Fili, I am not like the others. I had no say in what happened to you today or what happened to your little brother and I certainly don't approve of torture." Emily turned away from him.

Fili was taken aback by the sudden outburst. He assumed that she was like the rest of the elves. He put his hands on the floor and tried to stand up. He didn't get very far when his chest flared up with pain. He dropped back onto the ground with a sharp hiss and took a few shuttering breaths. He placed his hand on his side and leaned back against the wall closing his eyes tightly.

Emily turned around when she heard Fili's pain. She immediately knelt next to him with a look of compassion on her face. "Please… I am the best healer the elves have. Let me help you." Fili looked up at her and saw the honesty written in her eyes. He slowly nodded and removed his hand from his side.

She set about undoing the knot at the top of his tunic and grabbed the hem before gradually lifting it. Fili leaned forward to allow her to finish removing it. He let out a soft groan as she finished bringing it past his shoulders and down his arms.

She stared at his chest. He had massive bruises all over his chest and abdomen. She lightly touched a couple of the bruises along his ribs and frowned as Fili let out another small groan. Underneath it all, she couldn't help but notice how muscled he was. Fili watched her stare at his chest and he smirked. "Like what you see?" Emily glanced at his face and blushed bright red. It was at that moment that the guard decided to come back.

The guard stood in the doorway uneasily shifting his weight from foot to foot while continuing to hold the bucket of water. Emily turned to him and gave him a smile as she took the bucket from him. "Thank you," she said. "This is all I need. I will call for you when I am finished."

"B-but miss," the guard stuttered. "Kiridion would be furious with me if I were to leave you here alone. What if you got hurt?"

A dark look quickly crossed Emily's face before it brightened again. "Do not worry. Fili will not hurt me. If Kiridion asks, tell him to come talk to me. I will make sure you do not get into trouble for this," Emily promised.

The guard shakily smiled and handed her the bucket. "Just call if you need anything, Miss Emily. And… thank you." He turned and walked back towards the guard station.

Emily turned back around to find Fili staring quizzically at her. She just shrugged and set the bucket down near where he was sitting. She picked up her brown bag and rooted around in it for her jar. She unscrewed the lid and scooped out some of the white salve. "This is going to be cold and it's going to tingle," she warned him. Fili watched her as she lightly spread the white goo over the bruises. She started humming a song from her childhood. She grabbed one of her bandages and began wrapping his ribs.

When she finished, she looked up at Fili. "How does that feel?" She held out her hand and helped him to his feet. He stretched a little and found that he could actually move easier. He turned to Emily beaming. Emily smiled and picked up his tunic holding it out to him. He pulled it over his head and proceeded to redo the knot. "Sit back down," she said with mock seriousness. "I'm not done with you yet."

Fili sat back down with a slight huff. Emily giggled. She pulled a clean rag out of her bag and dipped it in the water. She brought it up and began to clean the blood off his face and neck while trying to ignore the fact that his eyes never left hers. She dipped the rag back in the water before continuing to clean the blood and grime off his face and his beard. That was when she noticed a dark bruise starting to form on his cheek where he had been backhanded earlier. She frowned and brushed her fingers over it. "Somebody hit you?"

"Yes," Fili said slowly. He grabbed her hand gently and kissed the back of it. "Something tells me I'll survive," he smirked drawing her closer.

They were interrupted by the sound of heavy footfalls. Kiridion turned the corner just in time to see Emily pull away from Fili. "Emily!" Kiridion yelled. "What is going on here? You could have been injured." Kiridion seized Emily's hands and pulled her into a forceful hug before quickly checking her over for injuries. She looked over his shoulder and watched as the guards pulled Fili to his feet. Kiridion turned to glare at Fili. "You…" Kiridion let go of Emily to stalk towards Fili.

Somehow Emily managed to place herself in front of Fili before Kiridion had reached him. She placed her hands out and said, "Stop. I was just taking care of his wounds like the King wanted me to. It's ok. He didn't touch me." Emily waited as Kiridion glowered. "Let's just leave here. Please…" her voice breaking. She watched Kiridion scowl before motioning for his guards to pick up the supplies. The guards were the first to leave and Kiridion followed soon after dragging Emily along behind him. Emily was able to throw one last apologetic glance behind her before the door slammed shut with a resounding _bang_.

_**FEED THE MUSE! REVIEW!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

The days continued on. Thorin couldn't tell how long he had been kept in this cell. An elf would bring him breakfast every morning and dinner at night. Thorin thought about his company every moment of every day. He wondered what they were up to. He wondered if they even missed him. He could only pray that they had managed to escape this awful forest and that they were not injured or, even worse, lying dead somewhere.

The longer Thorin was locked away, the stronger the impulse was to barter with the Elven King. He considered telling the King of his quest and even offering the King a share of the treasure if only to escape this cell. He _needed_ to find the rest of his company. He needed to make sure they were safe and unharmed. He needed to make sure that his nephews were still alive. If Dis knew the risks he had taken, especially with his nephews, she would wring his neck.

It wasn't surprising that when he first heard Bilbo's voice, he thought he had lost what little sanity he had left. It took Bilbo several hours to convince Thorin that he was truly there and not hearing voices.

Thorin decide he had never heard a sweeter voice in his whole life than Bilbo's had sounded at that exact moment. Bilbo's voice was the sound of hope. Thorin also decided that this King, who had kept his people (and himself) imprisoned, did not deserve a share of their hard won treasure.

Thorin could feel his heart sink as Bilbo told him how the company had been captured. Bilbo told Thorin about the poisoned arrow and about the beating the elder brother had received at the hands of King Thranduil. He felt his heart sink even lower when Bilbo couldn't tell him if they were ok.

Somewhere, buried deep below the guilt and worry, there was a fire that was slowly growing within Thorin. He would not die in this cell and he would make sure that nobody else would die either. He asked Bilbo to pass messages of hope to the rest of his company and together they would start working on an escape plan.

**HOBBITHOBBITHOBBIT**

Kili opened his eyes and promptly shut them again. His head ached and his shoulder throbbed. He tried to remember what happened. He remembered shooting an arrow and the return arrow. The look of terror on Fili's face was something he would never forget. He felt incredibly guilty having been the person to cause his brother so much worry and pain. He remembered the elves and a soft voice whispering to him through the darkness and leading him back to the light.

He opened his eyes again and looked around the room. He took in the plain wooden furniture, the well-built fire, the desk, and the bookshelves. He concluded he must have been taken to a healer.

Kili struggled to push himself up into a sitting position and sat there gasping for several minutes trying to will away the pain. He didn't see anybody else in the room and he had to find Fili. He knew his older brother and knew that the only reason why Fili was not by his side was that he had become a prisoner too. Kili prayed that his brother and the rest of the company had not been injured. He also prayed that Thorin would come and find them soon, because his uncle could save them from anything.

Kili took a deep breath before gently pushing himself closer to the edge of the bed. His feet had almost touched the ground when a voice suddenly came out of the stillness. "I don't think that is a good idea." Kili jumped and looked around for the owner of the voice. His eyes fell on a tall elf standing in the doorway, holding a bowl. "On top of that, Emily would be furious if I allowed you to hurt yourself again," the elf continued as she walked into the room and set the bowl on the desk.

Kili watched the elf nervously. "Where am I? What happened to the others?" The elf stepped closer to the bed and Kili flinched away from her.

The elf slowly sank into the chair next to the bed saying, "It's ok. I swear. No harm will come to you in this room. My name is Tauriel. You were shot with a poisoned arrow and now you are in my friend, Emily's, room. She is a healer and took care of you while you were sick. The other dwarves were also captured and taken prisoner."

Kili stared wearily at the new intruder. "If this is Emily's room, where is Emily?"

Tauriel sighed, "One of the other dwarves was injured and the King wanted to have her look at him." Tauriel watched as his face fill with fear. "Before you go asking me which dwarf it is, I do not know. You will just have to wait for Emily to get back so you can ask her. Do not fear. She is our best healer and she was able to bring you back from the edge of death."

Kili relaxed a little and leaned against the headboard. He slowly began to feel the exhaustion creeping back. Tauriel smiled at the little dwarf. "I brought you some soup if you are hungry."

The ends of Kili's mouth twitched up in a small smile and he replied, "I would like that very much. Thank you." Tauriel stood up and picked up the bowl where it rested on the table before gently placing it on Kili's lap.

The door suddenly flew open and the person who opened it quickly shut it and locked it behind her, before sinking to her knees and crying into her hands. Tauriel ran to the girl and lifted her to her feet. Tauriel got on her knees so she could look the girl in the eye. "Emily? Honey? What's wrong? Who hurt you?" Tauriel pulled her into a hug and Emily continued to sob into her shoulder.

**HOBBITHOBBITHOBBIT**

Kiridion continued to yank Emily down the hall behind him. He was absolutely furious. He saw how that _dwarf_ looked at her and how she looked at him. Thinking about it only succeeded in making him angrier.

Emily was terrified. She had never seen Kiridion look so angry and he had never physically hurt her like he was now. She was determined not to let him see her cry. If there was one thing that she was not, it was weak. She had no idea where he was taking her.

Kiridion finally found the door he was looking for and yanked the door open before flinging Emily inside. He shut the door behind him, but made no move towards her. Emily turned and watched Kiridion like a cornered mouse watches the cat. She waited for him to make the first move. "Explain!" Kiridion barked.

Emily visibly flinched at the sound. "I don't know what you want me to say, sir," she said hoping her voice sounded calmer than she felt. "I was helping the dwarf like the King asked."

"NO!" shouted Kiridion. " I _saw_ you. You like him, don't you?" Kiridion laughed bitterly. "You're in love with a dwarf!" Emily looked at the ground. Kiridion took two long strides over to her and roughly wrapped his hand around her throat, yanking her off her feet. "You will marry me, whether you want to or not. You will belong to me!" Emily grappled at his hand. The black spots started dancing in her vision. She suddenly found herself flying through the air and landed heavily against the wall next to the door.

She could feel the anger growing inside her. She stood up as tall as she could and quietly said, "I would rather die than marry you." Her voice was cold and deadly. With that she yanked the door open and fled down the passageway.

**HOBBITHOBBITHOBBIT**

What nobody knew was that Bilbo was located inside King Thranduil's castle. He had snuck into the palace when the dwarves were first captured had been wandering the halls ever since. That was how he had found out that Thorin was also being held prisoner. Thorin had asked Bilbo to pass on a message. He wanted them to know that he was still alive and to make sure nobody revealed their true reason for traveling through the forest. Fili's cell was one of the last he came to.

Bilbo snuck down the pathway leading to the cell and peered in. Fili was sitting in the corner with both knees propped up, his arms crossed on top of his knees and his chin leaning on his crossed arms. He was staring straight ahead, but not at anything in particular. He couldn't stop worrying about his brother and strangely enough Emily. He knew that Emily would keep her promise and make sure his brother stayed safe, but at the same time, he needed his brother by his side in order to truly stop worrying. He was also worried about Emily though. She looked genuinely afraid of Kiridion and he had had what looked like a painful grip on her wrist. There was also the matter of the apologetic look she threw his way right before she left. Either way, he was left sitting in a cell and pondering all that had happened.

"Fili." Pause. "Fili," Bilbo whispered again, slightly louder this time. "It's Bilbo. Thorin is here. He is a prisoner too! He asked me to find out how you are doing?"

"Bilbo?" Fili asked looking up. He slowly managed to get to his feet and walked over to the door. His hands wrapped around the metal bars. "Bilbo? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me," replied Bilbo. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing better. The king sent his healer, Emily, down to take a look at my ribs. Just bruises."

Bilbo paused, "And Kili?"

Fili looked down, "I don't know… I haven't seen him since they took him away." Fili paused, "Emily says he is on the mend and I believe her…"

"But?" Bilbo waited patiently. He knew that if he pushed the older brother too much, Fili would close up and not say anything about his secret fears.

Fili looked back up, "I can't stop worrying until I see him, Bilbo... I can't… He's my little brother. I was supposed to protect him."

"Fili. This is not your fault. I am working on a way to try and get us all out of here, but you have to hold on. Do you understand me?" asked Bilbo.

"Yes."

"Thorin wanted me to let you know not to tell the King anything about our quest or at least until he gives the word."

Fili sounded exhausted, "You can tell the King not to worry. I won't say anything." He walked back over to the wall and slumped back down to the floor.

Bilbo let out a light sigh. He knew Fili would not be ok until he was reunited with Kili. Bilbo walked back down the passage, away from Fili's cell.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

**Tessastarchild: Thank you for the clarification. I didn't really think about the time line when I wrote that. I will go back and change it.**

**Thank you to Kimberly, Autumn, tessastarchild, roxie, LiL PriNCeSs Me, Aruraina, Horserida, -and-Kili-Girl.x, England101, AppoloniaAstria, Padfootkicksbutt, FantasyRiderElf, lovergirl15645, geekychic1999, and Mzzmarie for all the wonderful reviews. I really appreciate it!**

Tauriel gently picked the weeping Emily up in her arms and carried her over to the fire. She gently set Emily down on the carpet before settling down beside her. Emily had stopped crying and just let out a sniffle every so often. Kili watched as Tauriel shifted Emily to cradle her on her lap, the red head bent with grief and gently whispering into Emily's ear. "What happened, mellon nin?" Tauriel's voice was thick with grief and unshed tears. She was furious whoever had laid a hand upon her little sister, but she was angrier with herself for not protecting Emily. Tauriel sat there and ran her fingers through Emily's hair.

The answer was so quiet that even Tauriel almost missed it despite her elvish hearing. "Kiridion."

Kili was watching the entire interaction from the bed; his bowl of soup long since forgotten on his lap. He saw Tauriel's hunched form visibly stiffen and Emily throw her arms around the elf before pushing herself off of the floor and washing the tears from her face. He could see the remnants of a hand shaped bruise starting to form on the girl's delicate neck, when Emily turned to him and smiled.

"I'm glad to see you are awake," Emily said. "My name is Emily and I am a healer. What is your name?"

Kili immediately felt sorry for this girl. She seemed warm and genuine and not at all like some of the other elves he had met. "My name is Kili," he stated simply.

"Do all dwarf brothers have rhyming names?"

The question caught Kili off guard. "How do you know Fili?" he demanded. "Is he ok?" he asked fearfully. Kili silently cursed himself for sounding like a child, but he didn't care as long as Fili was unhurt.

Emily sat down in the chair and Tauriel stood guard behind her. "He was injured when the King questioned the others, but he is fine. He had a several bruised ribs and a bloody nose, but I put some salve on his ribs and wrapped them. He will be back to normal in a day or two." Kili sighed, relieved that Fili was ok.

Tauriel laid a hand on Emily's shoulder. "What happened?"

Emily closed her eyes and began her story. "The King ordered me to take care of an injured dwarf, so I followed Kiridion into the dungeons. He left immediately to tend to more pressing matters. I went into the cell and sent the guard away before tending to Fili's bruised ribs. Kiridion came back and saw us." Emily closed her eyes tightly and shivered with the memory. "I managed to keep him from hurting Fili before he dragged me out of the cell." At this Kili's eyes widened. "He threw me into a room. I don't remember what room it was. He was so angry, Tauriel. I've never seen him that angry before. He wrapped a hand around my throat and hoisted me into the air. He swore that he would force me to marry him, one way or another. He threw me into a wall and I ran." Tauriel and Kili looked at Emily with a mixture of shock and awe.

Emily didn't mention anything about the flirting or what Kiridion accused her of. She was afraid of what Tauriel would think. Even more important, however, was that she was still unsure of the feelings she had for this dwarf who suddenly showed up in her life.

Tauriel placed both her hands on Emily's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Kili was the first to speak up. "Thank you… Thank you for protecting him."

Emily turned to Kili and smiled before looking up at Tauriel. "I have to do something and I do not want you to get hurt. Would you mind leaving? I just don't want you to take the fall."

Tauriel straightened trying to hide the hurt she felt. "Emily, you know I would do anything for you, right?" The pain and betrayal leaking into her voice like a poison. "I love you like a sister."

Emily stood up and faced Tauriel. "I know," she said quietly. "That is why I must act alone. Please… Trust me." Tauriel simply nodded and strode purposefully out of the room shutting the door quietly behind her.

_**Sorry this one is shorter than the others. Please keep feeding the muse by reviewing!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

_**I think this was one of my favorite chapters to write so far. It is rather long, but I have a feeling you'll love it. Hope you guys like it and don't forget to REVIEW!**_

"Stay here," Emily demanded turning to Kili. "Not all elves are like Tauriel and me. Stay in bed and pretend you are asleep. I'm going to bring your brother back here and we can start plans to get your company out of here." With that Emily walked out the door and to the kitchens.

She grabbed a mug and filled it with one of the sweetest wines the elves had. She knew that the guard would not be able to resist as she put a few drops of a sleeping draught into the wine. If luck was on her side, this would knock the guard out for several hours allowing her to reunite the two brothers and get them back to their respective places before anybody noticed.

She was so lost in her thoughts that the barred door of the guard station took her by surprise. The guard quickly stopped her when she entered, but was easily swayed into letting her in when he spotted the glass of wine that she had brought with her. It only took a few moments for the sleeping draught to take effect. She stole his keys and swiftly walked towards Fili's cell, leaving the guard snoring softly in his chair.

She inserted the key into the lock and flinched at the sound of the bolts in the door turning over and the squeak of the door as it swung open. Fili was lying on the cold stone floor with his back facing her. He didn't move a muscle, but Emily was willing to bet he was very much awake. She stepped carefully over to where he laid and reached a hand out. In the flash of an eye, Fili had rolled onto his back and had a tight grip on her wrist. The anger quickly drained from his face when he saw it was Emily and he dropped her wrist as if it were a hot coal when he heard her pained hiss.

She took a step back and rubbed her sore wrist. Fili stood up looking sheepishly away. "Sorry," she apologized quietly. "My wrist is just tender. Kiridion didn't have the lightest grip earlier." Fili looked up and gently grabbed ahold of her fingers. He couldn't see much due to the limited light, but he could make out the dark bruising encircling her wrist. He didn't say anything as their eyes met, but Emily took a step back breaking the contact and looked at her feet. "We don't have much time. The guard should be asleep for a couple hours and I'm going to take you to see your brother. He's asked about you." She turned back to the doorway as she was talking, not seeing the slightly disappointed look on Fili's face.

Emily glanced behind to make sure he was following, but other than that she avoided looking at Fili. The truth was, she felt suddenly self-conscious about the marks on her wrist and the handprint on her throat. She didn't want sympathy. This was her life, whether she liked it or not and she didn't want to drag anybody else down with her. It was bad enough that Tauriel was involved. She didn't want anybody else to get hurt. That was why she wanted to get them out of here as soon as possible, before they were ruined by the power of this place.

They walked silently through the halls and Emily had never been so grateful to arrive at her door. She opened the door and ushered Fili safely inside. "Kili," Fili breathed as he rushed to his brother's side.

Kili sat up immediately at the sound of his brother's voice. "Fili?"

Emily quickly turned and left the room. She figured she could give the two brothers a moment alone especially during such an emotional reunion. She waited outside in the hallway and guarded the door.

It was all Fili could do not to run to his little brother's side. He gathered Kili up in his arms and held him tightly. Kili let out a tiny chuckle and allowed his big brother to take care of him. He had to admit it, though. It was nice having his brother's comforting arms around him. They sat like that for several minutes before Kili shifted so that they were facing each other. Fili leaned closer to Kili, pressing his forehead against his little brother's. "Don't you ever scare me like that again," he said with a serious voice.

Kili smiled, "I promise." Kili paused with a frown, "But what about you? You were injured too."

Fili threw back his head in laughter. "Nothing escapes you little brother. It was only a few bruises." He smiled fondly at Kili, before continuing on, "I'll be right as rain by tomorrow thanks to Emily." Fili scanned the room for Emily as if the words suddenly reminded him of the girl who had captured his attention so suddenly. He began to get nervous. "One second, brother," he mumbled as he crawled off the bed trying hard not to disturb Kili.

Fili gingerly opened the door to find Emily sitting on the floor. Her knees were drawn up underneath her chin and her arms encircled her legs. She looked so small and fragile sitting there. She turned to look up at him with those big eyes and he could feel his heart start to melt. Fili kneeled next to her. He slowly reached a hand out to brush a tear off her cheek and she subconsciously leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. His touch was unlike anything she had ever experienced and she relished in the feel of the calloused and battle scarred hands. She opened her eyes as he moved his hand to underneath her chin, slightly tilting it up, before placing a kiss on her lips. The kiss started off slow and questioning, but quickly evolved into heartfelt and needy. That was the truth. They needed each other.

Emily was the first one to break it off. She was distinctly aware that they were still in the passageway and she quickly looked to see if anybody had seen them. Seeing nobody she relaxed and smiled shyly at Fili. Fili offered her his arm and helped her to her feet.

When they entered the room, there sat Kili with a huge smirk on his face. They both blushed, especially when Fili realized that his little brother must have seen the whole thing. "What?" he asked cheekily.

Kili just laughed. Fili stopped. His eyes caught something and he gently pulled Emily to a stop as well. He tilted her head to the right in order to get a better look at her neck. He gasped at the sight of a man's purple bruised handprint on her neck. Emily watched his face grow dark with a barely concealed fury. "Who?" he practically snarled taking in the sight of the handprint on her neck and the dark hand shaped bruises encircling her wrist.

Emily nervously looked away from him. "It was Kiridion, the King's second-in-command. He was the elf you met the other day."

Fili let out a low growl. "I swear. I will not let him touch you again."

Fili made sure Emily took the chair before sitting on the bed. His gaze lightened considerably once he made sure she was comfortable. Emily looked at her hands before starting. "I want to help you escape," she said, looking up. "I have a plan too."

Fili gave her a reassuring smile, urging her to continue. She took a deep breath and began her story. "The gates that you both came through are not the only entrance to these caves. There is a stream that flows under some of the lowest regions of the palace. There is a portcullis, but it is usually open. I think we could sneak your entire company out through the river. King Thranduil and the other elves here in Mirkwood love wine and we have vast cellars filled with barrels and barrels of the stuff. When the barrels are empty, the elves throw them out trapdoors that lead to the river. They are then carried far downstream and later collected. If each of you hide in an empty wine barrel, they will transport you out of the palace and away from the guards."

Both brothers were silent as they considered her plan. Fili was the first to speak up, "How are you going to get us all out of the dungeons and to the cellars without being seen?"

Emily smiled, "I am friends with the head of the King's Guard. If I ask her, she would be willing to help. I believe Kili has already met her." Kili blushed and nodded.

Kili spoke up, "What day do you propose we attempt to escape?"

"Tomorrow," she replied. "Tomorrow night the King is going to have a big banquet with all of the elves in attendance. If we leave tomorrow, it will be guaranteed that there will be enough barrels for your entire company and there will be less elves milling about."

Both brothers agreed that this was the best plan that anybody had come up with so far and they were willing to give it a try. Fili offered to spread the word amongst the other dwarves to make sure that they were prepared and Emily was going to talk to Tauriel and finish making the final preparations.

As they were finishing up discussing the finishing touches of their plans, Emily suddenly realized how much time had slipped away. "Quick," she said as she urged Fili towards the door. "We must get you out of here. The guard will be waking up any minute now."

Luck was not with them this night and as Emily's hand reached the door handle, it swung open and a dozen guards burst in led by none other than Kiridion himself. He took one look around the room and his gaze immediately landed on Emily and Fili. Fili tried to push Emily behind him but was wrenched away by a swarm of hands. He called out to her and tried to fight but was quickly sent to his knees and held there, still struggling, by four elf guards. Kili was also soon on his knees with his arms pulled behind his back. Both were quickly bound.

Emily was left untouched, but not for long. Kiridion stalked her like a cat stalking a mouse. Kiridion grabbed a hold of her forearm, and didn't let go. Emily sent a fist flying towards his face, but Kiridion was too quick and was able to dodge it. He managed to slip a loop of rope over one of her hands and yanked it behind her back, pulling the loop tight over the new bruises. Emily yelped in pain as she tried to grab the rope to keep it from pulling any tighter. Fili yearned to help her, but was not able to throw off the tough elf guards so he could only watch as Kiridion cruelly bound Emily's wrists behind her back.

The elves shoved their prisoners through the door and down the hall towards the King's throne room. Emily tried to look back to catch a glimpse of Fili and Kili, but wasn't able to due to the large number of elves in the passageway. She stared as the giant doors grew larger and larger, shuddering as she wondered what would happen on the other side.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

_**FEED THE MUSE! If you want updates, keep reviewing. **_

The massive doors were thrown open, and the quiet, calm throne room was filled with chaos. Emily was dragged in first, quickly followed by Fili and Kili. All three were forced onto their knees before the throne. They stopped struggling as they crossed the threshold, because what was the point? They were here and there wasn't anything they could do about it. They watched as an extremely smug Kiridion took his place at the King's right side.

King Thranduil sat and watched silent and strong like the mighty trees of the forest that inhabited his kingdom. The King lightly ran his index finger back and forth across his lower lip as he thought.

Emily shot an uneasy glance towards Fili. The King's silence unnerved her and she knew he was taking his time coming up with a suitable punishment for the conspirators. She also knew that she was likely to get the worst of it. The King would view her actions as a personal betrayal even though she had never technically sworn loyalty to him.

Emily straightened as much as she could, resolve strengthening. She was willing to accept whatever happens, especially if it meant keeping the brothers safe. She knew what it was like to lose a younger sibling. She felt as if her heart was ripped in two on that fateful day and the second half of it had died along with her little sister. She thought about Fili. Within the course of a day, he had managed to maneuver his way through the defenses guarding her heart and ignite a spark of hope that she thought had died long ago and she was not going to give it up easily.

A single voice echoed throughout the throne room. "It was my idea. I'm the one who drugged the guard." All heads swiveled towards Emily.

King Thranduil stood up and walked down off the dais to stand before Emily. Emily swallowed convulsively but met his eyes without flinching even as he cupped his hand under her chin.

"You betrayed me," he said. Emily didn't bother to try and defend herself. "You betrayed me. You betrayed our people… Why?" the King asked quietly. His fingers dug into her cheeks as his anger only increased with her continued silence. "Why?!"

Emily looked at him without expression. At first glance, she didn't look very worried about her possible fate, but the King felt her tremble under his hand. He knew that she wasn't unconcerned about her fate. She was afraid. She knew there would be no mercy.

The King let go of her chin and turned away from her. Emily let out a deep breath she didn't realize she had been holding and sagged slightly in the guards grip. The King whipped around as fast as lightning, savagely backhanding her with an unexpected force.

Fili surged forward, but was unable to escape the tight grip of the guards. "Emily!" he cried. Fili struggled and even Kili struggled in the tight grip, wounded though he was. Their eyes never left Emily's limp form as the elves set her back on her feet. She was still conscious, but barely and severely dazed. For the first time, she was glad of the arms supporting her.

The King returned to his throne and considered the three kneeling before him. "Take the dwarves back to the dungeons. Separate them. No food or water for either of them for two days." Fili and Kili tried to stay with Emily, but they were quickly dragged out of the room.

The King waited until Fili and Kili had been escorted out before continuing. "As for you, Emily, your treachery will not be taken lightly." Emily bowed her head in sorrow. "But it is not entirely your fault. You lost your family at a young age and so it is no wonder you are confused as to whom you can trust," the King said emotionlessly as if he were simply stating facts. "Seeing as how you have no living kin, I have taken you in as my charge and as such it is my responsibility to take care of your best interests. I believe that a husband would help quell your rebellious spirit. You will marry Kiridion and he will decide your fate from here on out."

Emily felt all breath leave her. She had never thought something like this would happen. She looked from the King to Kiridion and stared in shock for several minutes watching an evil smirk stretch across his face. She looked back at the King and cried out, "Please no!" before throwing herself backwards. The guards caught at her. She sank through their arms only to stand and drive her forehead into one guard's nose. The guard dropped as if he'd been hit with an ax, but it was all the strength Emily had left.

She could hear Kiridion's voice telling them to hold her still. Emily tried to escape, but she just couldn't get free of the restraining hands. Her head throbbed in time with it's own beat. She could see Kiridion coming closer through the haze, but couldn't do anything to stop him. He struck her across the previously bruised side of her face with his open hand. Her head rocked on her shoulders. She made no sound, and dropped to her knees fighting nausea.

"Take her back to my room," Kiridion ordered. Emily was barely hanging onto consciousness when she felt her limp body being gently picked up. The motion jostled her head and caused her eyes to roll white in her head. Her head dropped to her chest as she was carried gently out of the throne room.

_**Author's Note: The King really did have Emily's best interests at heart when he said she should be married. Kiridion is the King's right hand man and I think the King doesn't know what he's done over the years or chooses to ignore it.**_

**_Author's Note 2: I'm mostly using elves as a good antagonist. I apologize to the people who feel like the elves are a little too harsh. Kiridion is the main antagonist. King Thranduil is mostly just trying to do right by his people. So sorry if he comes off as a little too harsh._**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

_**This chapter was a little difficult to write. Please keep reviewing.**_

_**More reviews = faster a new chapter comes out**_

The guards dragged the kicking and fighting dwarves back to the dungeons. Elves appeared through the different passageways calmly observing the offenders that dared to break the peace before turning back to their day-to-day lives. The dwarves were unceremoniously shoved into their respective cells and the ropes cut.

Fili paced the length of his cell. Everything was happening way too fast. He prayed that Kili was strong enough to survive this new punishment. He needed the nutrition to continue to heal. He couldn't help but feel responsible for both Kili and now Emily.

"Where is Bilbo?" Fili whispered angrily as he continued to pace back and forth. He hoped Bilbo had been watching in the throne room and would be by any minute. Their only hope of escape was to go through with Emily's plan and ask for the Captain of the Guard's help.

And once again, the hobbit failed to disappoint. Fili didn't have to wait for long when he heard Bilbo's small voice calling out to him. Fili hurriedly explained the plan to Bilbo and sent him off to find the elf, Tauriel. Unfortunately, Fili wasn't any help when it came to important details such as what she looked like. Hopefully Kili would be a little more helpful.

Kili's cell wasn't far away and Bilbo wanted to get this whole mess done and over with as soon as possible. Bilbo found Kili dozing lightly in the far corner of his cell. He felt bad for waking the resting dwarf because it was only a couple of hours ago that he had been lying in bed, unconscious, and recovering from the poison. Bilbo sighed before calling out to the young dwarf.

Kili woke up startled, glancing around before cautiously whispering, "Bilbo?"

Bilbo silently rolled his eyes having forgotten that the younger heir had missed his earlier exploits. "Yes. It's me." Bilbo continued on to explain what Fili had planned before asking Kili for a description of Tauriel. Needless to say he was not impressed. "So… I'm looking for a tall elf with fair skin, fiery red hair, and green eyes… Do you happen to know where I should start looking?"

Thankfully Kili had been paying attention when the guards took him back to the dungeon and was able to give Bilbo relatively good directions on how to get to Emily's room. After seeing the two interact, he figured that the girls couldn't have lived too far from each other and that Tauriel would be by to check up on Emily sooner or later. Kili wished Bilbo good luck as Bilbo quietly slipped away and out of the dungeons.

Bilbo followed Kili's directions and was able to find the healer's room relatively easily. The only problem was that it was empty. Bilbo proceeded to wander the nearby halls and rooms keeping a sharp eye out for an elf that matched Tauriel's description. Bilbo had his doubts about this plan but both Fili and Kili assured him that this crazy idea would work. Personally? He thought it was a long shot. He had no idea where to even begin looking for Tauriel. There was also no guarantee that Tauriel would help. If he showed himself, would she turn him in too? What then? But if there was one thing Bilbo learned from this adventure, it was trust and for some strange reason he trusted the brothers.

It wasn't until Bilbo was on the verge of giving up that he caught a glimpse of the elf. He followed her as quietly as he could while avoiding bumping into other elves that occasionally made their way through the halls. He watched as Tauriel opened a solid oak door and shut it behind her.

Bilbo took a deep breath and slipped the ring off his finger before opening the door and slipping inside. "Tauriel?" he whispered. The room was cast in shadow, but there was still enough light for him to see. He glanced about the room looking for the elf, anxiety steadily growing. He stiffened as he felt fingers entwine themselves in his hair and a knife being pressed into his throat. A chilly voice whispered into his ear, "Who are you and why were you sneaking around in my room?"

Bilbo shifted his weight nervously. "My name is Bilbo Baggins. I was traveling with the dwarves." The hand located in his hair tightened. "Wait! Wait! Emily is in trouble! We need your help!"

Tauriel froze. "How do you know Emily?" she asked, her voice turning deadly.

Bilbo didn't hesitate and almost forgot to breathe. "I don't, but I know Kili and Fili. Kili was the wounded dwarf that was brought in. Emily tried to reunite the two brothers and came up with an escape plan to help the dwarves. They were caught." Bilbo paused. "Kiridion dragged them all back before the King. Kiridion has convinced the King that Emily should marry him."

Tauriel quickly released Bilbo, stalking deeper into the room before sinking into a nearby chair. She was afraid something like this would happen. She knew that she would not be able to protect Emily forever, but this was too soon. She still remembered the little girl who would not give up despite being surrounded by bullies those many years ago.

_Tauriel loved being outdoors. She loved the enormous green trees that stretched towards the heavens and the way the light trickled through the leaves to dance upon the mossy ground. The garden was her favorite place to escape the bustle of day-to-day life and she could frequently be found there reading a book curled up amongst the massive branches. The garden was located well behind the borders of the King's Palace and was well protected by the elves. It was one of the few places the elven children could run and play and not have to worry about the dangers of the forest or the outside world._

_Around the center of the garden were massive hedges that encircled a small fountain. This was one of the few places where the hedges grew high enough to form leafy tunnels leading to the fountain. It was beautiful this time of year. The hedges bloomed with the most amazing white flowers and the air smelled of lilac and roses._

_Tauriel wandered through the tunnels enjoying the sunlight and the fresh air when she heard the sound of young voices echoing through the air. She quickly followed the voices to a small clearing. There in the center of the clearing was a group of thirteen young elves of varying ages and heights. They were all jeering and egging each other on. She surveyed the group silently from the edge of the clearing._

_She watched in horror as the elves shifted and she saw a young girl being held by two young elven boys nearly twice her size. Her arms were cruelly wrenched behind her back and she wore a slight grimace from pain. The tallest one was in the center and he seemed to be the one in charge. "Look at her!" he pointed and laughed. "You do not belong here. You are a filthy half breed." He drew his fist back before landing a hard punch to her jaw. She refused to cry out, only grunting and lightly groaning._

_He grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes. That was definitely a mistake on his part as she spit in his face. He reeled back, shock contorting his features before wiping his face and stalking back towards her. He seemed to swell with rage and a bright fire was alight in his gaze. He backhanded her savagely. "It's about time scum like you learned their place," he snarled. Two elves left the group to stand beside their leader._

"_STOP!" bellowed Tauriel as she strode into the clearing. "THAT IS ENOUGH!" The young elves stared at her in horror before scattering to the wind leaving behind their captive. Tauriel was furious. She was going to have a word with each and every one of their parents. Her gaze fell on the young girl, softening with sympathy._

_She knelt down next to the girl. "Hey. My name is Tauriel. What's yours?" she asked gently. The girl looked up at her with sad eyes. Tauriel almost flinched. Her eyes showed an enormous amount of pain and suffering and sorrow. She had seen that look before on some of the older elves that had fought in long ago battles, but never had she seen it on one so young. The black eye that she sported only seemed to increase the depth of her eyes._

"_Emily," the girl replied with a shy whisper._

_Tauriel reached for her and to her surprise Emily crawled forward and snuggled her face into her chest, her tiny hands gripping tightly to the fabric. Tauriel held her tightly. She felt her heart break by the trust this young child had in her, a complete stranger, even after being treated so horribly. Tauriel rocked her gently and whispered soft promises into her hair. "I promise I will protect you. You never have to be alone again. I have you." She stayed there rocking Emily until she fell asleep in her arms. Tauriel gently lifted her up and took her to the healer while continuing to whisper comfortingly._

"Um. Excuse me, Miss Tauriel?" Bilbo asked, clearly worried.

Tauriel wasn't sure how long she had sat there silently thinking, but evidently it was long enough to worry the nervous hobbit. She turned towards him and replied, "Master Baggins. I will help you and the dwarves escape on one condition… that you take Emily with you when you leave. It is no longer safe for her here."

Bilbo considered her for a moment before replying. "If you promise to get us safely out of here, we will take Emily with us and protect her." By Durin's name, what did he get himself into this time? Thorin was going to be so incredibly angry.

Tauriel immediately stood up and nodded. "I think we should make our way separately to the dungeons so as not to arouse unnecessary suspicion. We'll meet back there. Which dwarf am I looking for?"

"The one with hair the color of autumn barley," replied Bilbo.

Tauriel nodded and walked to the door. "I'll see you soon," she said before leaving.

_**PLEASE REVIEW! I NEED reviews. Thank you to all my fans!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_**Thank you for all the amazing reviews! Please keep it up. It does mean a lot.**_

_**This is for all you readers who wanted more dwarves! **___

_**Author's Note: I am going to stay pretty true to the book when it comes to the dwarves escape, however I am planning on changing some things. It's on purpose. **___

The King's dungeon wasn't bad as far as prisons go. Sure it was damp and dark, but it was much better than being lost out in the forest. It stayed relatively warm at night and cool during the day. But then again, Bofur was always an optimist. They were fed two meals a day and had a lumpy mattress to sleep on. "The best thing about the situation," thought Bofur, "is that Bifur is next door." Bifur's constant grumbling in Khuzdul was comforting to Bofur. It brought a small sense of normalcy to each day and it prevented him from worrying about the old dwarf. Bofur smiled as he caught the tail end of his cousin's most recent grumbling.

While Bifur was technically older than Bofur, recently Bofur had taken up the role of the older brother and patriarch. Bifur was Bofur and Bombur's cousin, but the two dwarves viewed him as they would each other, brothers. Bifur was usually ok when it came to dealing with the other dwarves despite his injury and the resulting difficulties with communication. However he did occasionally have bad days where he would not recognize any member of the company and would suffer from extremely realistic day terrors. Bofur was usually the first one to sense something was amiss and was the only one that Bifur would recognize and respond to.

Bofur straightened as he heard the slight patter of hobbit feet followed by heavier footsteps coming from the passage. He pressed his head against the metal gate trying to get a glimpse of who was coming. Bilbo was the first one to come around the corner. An elf followed him and, for a second, Bofur was worried they were going to lock Bilbo up too. He let out a sigh of relief when the rest of the dwarves appeared. "They look like little ducklings following their mother," thought Bofur, clearly amused at the idea of the hobbit being the mother duck. He still wasn't sure about the elf, but Bilbo hadn't let them down yet and was surprisingly turning into quite the accomplished burglar.

The elf unlocked the door before unlocking Bifur's. Bofur did a silent head count as he mingled into the ever growing throng of dwarves. He gave Bombur a good-natured pat on the back, before turning to check on Bifur.

It wasn't long before Bilbo led the dwarves to the next set of cells where Thorin, the last dwarf, was located. On the way there though, Bilbo thought he was going to have a heart attack. _His heart thumped every time one of the company bumped into another, or grunted or whispered in the dark. "Drat this dwarvish racket!" he said to himself._ All went well though and they didn't run into any guards.

"Thorin." Bilbo whispered. "Come on out. We're getting out of here."

Thorin slowly emerged from the dark. _"Upon my word!" said Thorin. "Gandalf spoke true, as usual! A pretty fine burglar you make, it seems, when the time comes. I am sure we are all forever at your service, whatever happens after this. _But who is this?" he asked pointing to the elf.

Bilbo started to explain, "T-This is Tauriel. She is going to help us escape."

Thorin considered this for a moment before asking, "Now what?"

Fili immediately stepped forward. It was Emily's idea and he figured he would be the one to explain it, as best as he could. He was not sure how the dwarves would take it though.

The grumbling started even before he had finished speaking. _"We shall be bruised and battered to pieces, and drowned too, for certain!" they muttered. _"This is what you get for trusting an elf's plans! Never trust an elf! This is crazy."

"Fine!" said Fili. "Let's all get you back to your nice cells, and _I will lock you all in again, and you can sit there comfortably and think of a better plan._ What about those who have already risked their lives in order to help us escape? Are you willing to let them die because you were too afraid of the water?"

They calmed down a bit and even managed to look slightly ashamed at their outburst. In the end they had to do just what Fili had suggested. _It was obviously impossible for them to try and find their way into the upper halls or to fight their way out of gates that were closed by magic._ When the din did not diminish, Tauriel finally spoke up, obviously annoyed. "Would you please be quiet?! There is no use in grumbling unless your goal is to get us all caught."

So they crept down into the lowest cellars, following the elf. They passed a door through which a butler could be seen happily snoring with a smile upon his face. Bilbo was set as a guard to make sure the butler did not stir, while the rest went into the adjoining cellar. Everybody quickly searched the barrels for thirteen suitable hideaways. Most of the barrels chosen were used to bring stuff, such as butter and apples, to the king's palace.

Each dwarf was packed away inside until only Fili, Kili, and Thorin were left. Thorin was packed in and turned and twisted in his tub and grumbled like a large dog in a small kennel. Bilbo was next.

Kili started to get into his barrel when Fili stopped him. "I'm not going," he said. "I have to find her. I can't leave her to suffer on our account."

Kili nodded and smiled, "I'll try to keep Thorin from being too angry at you."

Fili chuckled and hugged Kili not wanting to let him go. "Thank you, brother." Fili held out his arm and helped his brother into the barrel, embracing him one last time before securing the lid. He and Tauriel ran around putting the finishing touches on the packing, secretly hoping that this plan would work.

It hadn't been a moment too soon. The voices and a flicker of lights came only a minute or two after Kili's lid had been fitted. Tauriel and Fili only had a few moments to sneak away before a number of elves came laughing and talking into the cellars. Tauriel and Fili watched the first few barrels being pushed through the opening and into the river before they snuck away to find Emily.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

_**Hope you guys like it! Yay! Emily's back! I was beginning to miss her too. ;)**_

_**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**_

Tauriel led Fili through the more secret tunnels of the palace. The halls were largely empty save a few individuals scattered here and there. Fili kept a close eye on his surroundings. As they traveled deeper into King Thranduil's halls the paintings and trappings grew increasingly finer and richer. Fili was so busy watching for enemies that he didn't notice Tauriel stop and walked into her back. Tauriel held out her hand and steadied the young dwarf. "Are you ready?" she asked him. "Long has Kiridion's heart been filled with evil. I do not know what awaits us behind this door, but it will not be good." Tauriel lifted her hand slowly to the handle and pushed the door open.

At first glance the room seemed normal. There was a slight breeze wafting through the room, ruffling the elaborate curtains and the sun danced merrily on the ground. Fili and Tauriel edged into the room, weapons drawn, and ready for anything.

Fili was the first one to spot her.

She was sitting with her back up against the wall and her arms bound cruelly behind her back. Her head was bowed, blonde hair falling forward to obscure her face. Emily did not stir as Tauriel and Fili knelt by her side. A dark shadow covered the right side of her face. It was a vast bruise stretching from beneath her eye, across her cheekbone and stopped just before it reached her ear.

Tauriel stretched her hand out and caressed Emily's face. Emily awoke at the touch and jolted away like a startled horse. She kicked out and tried to get as far away from the perceived danger as possible.

Fili placed a hand on either side of Emily's face, murmuring comfortingly. The grip was not restricting, not trying to hold her still, but waiting patiently, a calm and steady rock. "Emily?" Fili asked. "It's Fili. Do you remember me? Tauriel is here too." He paused. "Nobody is going to hurt you anymore." Fili watched as the struggling and flailing slowed down before completely stopping.

Emily blinked a couple times as her vision cleared, tears trailing silently down her face. "Fili?" she breathed. "I thought I would never see you again."

"It's ok," Fili replied as he brushed away the stray tears with his thumb. "I'm right here."

Tauriel watched in awe. She never suspected that the two were so close and she smiled. "Good. Emily deserves to be happy," she thought. "Emily, honey," Tauriel said, drawing Emily's attention. "This is going to hurt, mellon nin, but we have to get you out of these ropes."

Emily nodded and scooted closer to her best friend. Tauriel gently helped Emily lean forward and rest her head on her shoulder. "Oh no," gasped Fili catching sight of her bound hands. The constricting knots had left her hands swollen and mottled. There were raw spots where the ropes had tightened and dug into her flesh. Fili quickly set about carefully removing the knotted ropes. Emily shuddered, but lay quietly while he cut the ropes away and hissing only when he pulled them away from the skin where they were stuck. Emily sat up and brought her damaged hands in front before laying them on her lap.

Fili grasped her wrist and started to straighten the curled fingers. "I'm sorry. They've got to be flexed. The blood has pooled." Emily watched as he methodically straightened each finger before letting her go. She cautiously brought her hands up to her face and moved them experimentally. Once they were once again obeying her command, she placed her hands on the ground and started to stand up while Fili and Tauriel hovered over her like clucking hens.

"We've got to hurry. Your horse is waiting for you," she told Emily. "I also packed you a bag filled with your precious salves and ointments and both your weapons. But we must move quickly." She led the way with Emily not far behind and Fili supporting her when she stumbled.

They made their way through the many winding halls and Fili could feel the air getting lighter as they made their way closer to the surface and the main gates. Tauriel opened a random side door and ushered Fili and Emily through it. Inside was the largest stable Fili had ever seen. There were horses of every size, shape, and color. Only one, however, managed to capture Emily's attention.

A black mare was pacing back and forth, whickering softly almost as if she understood their need for silence. "Aerie!" Emily greeted her before throwing her arms around the horse's neck. Aerethiel could sense that something was not quite right with Emily, but could also sense the need for urgency. She followed Emily out of the stall and into the aisle. Fili watched her, awestruck, as she smiled with a genuine happiness that he hadn't seen before.

That happiness was short lived however when they finally came out under the night sky. Emily turned tears streaking down her face as she embraced Tauriel. "I'm sorry…" she sobbed. "I'm so sorry… Please don't leave me…"

Tauriel pulled her closer, whispering, "It's ok, mellon nin. We will see each other again." They held each other close, afraid that if they let go they would be pulled apart and never see each other again.

She quickly motioned for Fili to go ahead and mount. Once he was settled, she hugged Emily one last time and kissed her gently on the forehead. A single tear ran down her face as she passed Emily up to Fili's waiting arms. "Fili, the best chance you have in catching up with the others is if you follow the river. Let Aerethriel have her head. She knows where to go and she will not fail you… Good bye, Emily." Tauriel released her cloak from Emily's grip and stepped back. She watched as Aerethriel disappeared into the forest.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

The darkness inside the barrels was tangible and the quiet was stifling. Thorin thought he could make out the faint songs of the elves before his stomach jumped into his throat during the sudden drop into the river below. He held his breath as he waited to see if the barrel would sink to the bottom, but after a few moments of anxious anticipation, he quickly realized that the little trickle of water that had seeped into the barrel had stopped.

_All he knew was that the river seemed to go on and on and on for ever, and he was hungry and had a nasty cold on the nose. _The hours steadily creeped by and the light grey that had trickled into the barrel quickly grew darker as the sun started to set over the Misty Mountains and the rolling hills of Mirkwood forest. Thorin felt the river gradually calm and could hear the light banging as the different barrels gently hit each other during their track downstream. All the barrels had been caught in a gentle alcove of the river and gradually drifted closer to shore.

"Well, it's now or never," Thorin thought to himself before popping the lid off of his barrel. The others followed suit and crawled onto the rocky shore, thankful to still be alive. Thorin did a quick headcount to make sure that all the dwarves and their burglar had been accounted for. Dori and Nori were helping a waterlogged Ori out of his barrel, while Bofur and Bifur were working hard to pull Bombur back to his feet. Gloin and Oin were keeping watch over the forest and Dwalin was checking to make sure Balin survived the trip safely. Thorin cared deeply for the company and he wanted to make sure none had been left behind or been lost to the river. His eyes finally settled on Kili, who was standing next to the river, searching the darkness upstream. "Where is Fili?" Kili looked back guiltily. It reminded Thorin of when Kili was a young dwarfling, afraid of being scolded for his misbehavior. He began again, "Kili? What happened to your brother?"

Kili nervously faced his uncle, "He stayed behind, uncle." Thorin could feel the anger building up in him like the steam building up in a kettle. Balin knowingly rested a hand on Thorin's arm, allowing some of the anger to dissipate and for Kili to continue his explanation. "Wait. Before you get angry. He stayed behind to rescue the girl who saved us. She reunited Fili and me and was caught doing so. As the future King he thought it was his duty to help somebody that had risked her life for us. He is going to meet up with us before we get to Laketown."

Thorin closed his eyes and took a big breath and nodded. "Kili, keep a sharp look out for your brother," he ordered. "We will wait here for Fili for thirty minutes. If he does not show up, we will make our way down to Laketown and decide what to do from there."

The rest of the dwarves grumbled and checked each other for any injuries before regaling their tales of what had happened in the dungeons of the Elven King. The night became more pronounced as the minutes slowly drifted away.

Thorin stood with Balin and Dwalin, conversing quietly as he kept a vigil over the rest of the company. His eyes never left his youngest nephew for long and as a result was the first person to notice Kili suddenly stiffen followed by the sound of distant hoof beats. Thorin's mind immediately went on high alert and he quickly called his company to action. The older dwarves formed a tight circle around the younger dwarves even though they had no weapons. They all watched the forest in the direction the hoof beats were coming from; trying to discern if it was the elves coming to drag them back to the dungeons.

A single black horse emerged from the darkness like a ghost. Thorin immediately recognized the long blond trusses of his sister's oldest son and moved quickly towards the horse. Fili quickly dismounted before holding out his hand to help the girl who had been bundled up in front of him on the saddle.

Thorin watched the pair and couldn't help but notice the angry red welts encircling the girl's wrist as she reached up to lower the hood of her cloak or the dark shadow that encompassed nearly half of her face. He did feel sorry for this girl, but was still watching her warily as Fili finally spoke up. "Uncle, may I introduce Emily. She is only half elf and she is the one who came up with the idea leading to our escape. The elf, Tauriel, never would have helped us if not for her." He paused before turning to Emily, "May I introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

Both stared at each other warily, neither wanting to make the first move. By this time the rest of the dwarves had gathered around behind Thorin and were examining this new addition with barely concealed curiosity. Thorin spoke up, "Why did you help us escape?"

Emily paused, knowing that this moment was absolutely crucial. "Fili speaks the truth. I am half elf and half human. I have lived with the elves of the Mirkwood for many years, but that was not always my home. I helped you because I lost my family and my home many years ago and I could not wish that same fate upon anybody else. I know nothing of your plans, but all I ask is for permission to join your company and protection."

Thorin believed her, but his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Protection? Protection from what?"

Emily looked him straight in the eyes and stated simply, "The elves."

The only sound that permeated through the clearing was the chirping of the night bugs. The dwarves shifted nervously behind Thorin and Balin again laid his arm on Thorin's arm, "Surely we can offer her protection seeing as how without her aid we would still be stuck in the dungeons…"

Thorin looked at the bruises covering her face and remembered the rope burns and agreed. She had helped them and the elves had hurt her. "You may join us and we will protect you from the elves." Emily smiled sadly and nodded. "Let's move out."

The dwarves all sighed with relief. They were glad that an agreement had been reached and were all thoroughly exhausted and bruised from their trip down the river and were not looking forward to a fight. The company followed Thorin out of the clearing and towards the city of Laketown.

Emily took her horse's reins from Fili before resting a hand comfortingly on the mare's neck. Fili looked like he wanted to say something, but was quickly called away by Balin. Emily followed the company of dwarves and trudged on. The excitement and adrenaline of her escape had worn out hours ago and she could no longer ignore the pain that coursed through her body. She dragged her feet over the rough ground and came dangerously close to falling on numerous occasions. The only thing that saved her was the steadying form of her horse walking calmly beside her. She didn't blame any of the dwarves for not speaking to her. They had been locked up for a while before she thought of the rescue attempt and she could not blame them for their resulting dislike of elves.

Emily was concentrating so hard on ignoring the dark spots dancing in her vision that she did not notice the hobbit fall into step with her. "Hello," Bilbo said amicably. "My name is Bilbo Baggins. You're Emily?"

Emily nearly jumped out of her skin but was able to recover quickly. Bilbo watched her anxiously. Emily tried to calm his nerves with a smile, but she could tell he wasn't buying it. She nodded once.

Bilbo continued watching her, his concern playing obviously across his features. "Are you ok? They hurt you for helping us, didn't they?"

Emily smiled sadly. He was quite observant for a hobbit. "I'm fine. I'm just tired is all," she replied. "Yes, Master Baggins, but it was worth it."

Bilbo smiled warmly at her. The company came to a stop just outside the walls of the town. Thorin had decided that he would go and ask to speak to the Master of the town. Fili, Kili and Bilbo were to accompany him and he would send Bilbo back to gather the others when the time came.

Emily hung back nervously. She wasn't sure how the dwarves were going to react to her presence and she didn't want a confrontation while the two brothers were away. The pain was growing with each breath she took and she could only hope that they would enter the town soon so she could take care of her wounds and rest. Bofur was the first to introduce himself, followed by Balin and the rest of the company. They were all friendly and wanted to know what had happened and why she had chosen to help them. They surrounded her so fast and she was suddenly overwhelmed. Her head kept spinning faster and the darkness was creeping ever forward.

There were four dwarves standing between Ori and Emily. Ori knocked them all aside like pegs in a counting game and dropped to his knees in time to catch Emily as she collapsed into his outstretched arms.

He'd seen her, white as wax, from the corner of his eye and, seeing her sway, had known she was fainting, but was too late to do anything more than catch her.

Balin immediately took charge and ordered Ori to lay her out gently on top of her cloak. Oin checked her pulse and her breath, but couldn't do much else in the dark. The elves had also kept his medical supply. It was quickly decided upon that Oin, Gloin and Dwalin would take Emily to the city and try to find Thorin's group and a room where Oin could fully examine her. They had all seen the massive bruise on her face and were afraid that the elves had done more than just strike her.

Dwalin knelt down and gently gathered the unconscious girl in his arms. She was a little awkward, but no more than if he had tried to pick up any of the other dwarves. He was surprised at how light she felt in his arms and stood there staring at her until Gloin's rough voice pulled him back into the present and he rushed to catch up with the two older dwarves.

It wasn't long until they came to a small guard hut. The guards were not keeping a very good watch and were sitting in the back corner discussing the arrival of the great Thorin Oakenshield. Gloin was tired and sore and was not in the mood for games. "Hey," he barked out. "Where is Thorin Oakenshield? We are members of his company and one of our own is injured. We need to find him right away."

The guards jumped to their feet and the younger of the two stepped forward and bowed his head slightly. "If you will follow me, Master Dwarf," he started, "I will show you where Master Oakenshield and the rest of his company will be staying." Gloin gave a curt nod and the three dwarves followed the guard out into the darkened streets of Laketown.

It wasn't long until they came to a medium two-story house. As they drew nearer they could make out the faint outlines of Thorin, Fili, Kili, and Bilbo talking to what they assumed was the Master of the town. Thorin thanked the Master and they exchanged a firm handshake before he left to return to his party.

Fili was the first one to spot the three dwarves standing at the base of the verandah. His heart dropped when he saw Emily's unconscious form gathered in Dwalin's arms. He felt the guilt swell inside him as he made his way down the few stairs and gently pushed the hair away from her face. He should have guessed that there would have been more than just the few wounds he could see. Tauriel had warned him that she would likely be injured.

Thorin's reaction, however, was a bit more practical. He ordered Dwalin to take Emily to the room at the top of the stairs and ordered Kili and Fili to go with him and build up a fire and light some candles. Oin of course would follow them and see what he could do to help. Bilbo was sent to collect the rest of the company and lead them to the house where they would be staying. Thorin and Gloin would wait for the servants and food the Master promised to send over. The dwarves scattered, each knowing what must be done.

Dwalin entered the room and gently laid Emily down on her bed. She immediately tried to curl on her side and was shaking with cold. Oin ordered Kili to build up the fire and Fili and Dwalin to hold Emily still. He gently laid his hand upon her forehead. "Fever," Oin stated disgustingly. "Kili, fetch me some cool water. We have to get her fever down. Fili, help me peel her shirt off." Fili glanced up at Oin, before gingerly peeling her shirt over her head.

Dark bruises covered her front and back. The bruises had been laid down in overlapping stripes, some darker than others. All occurred very recently. Oin gingerly felt the ribs beneath the bruises and shook his head. "She has three cracked ribs."

"Mahal," gasped Fili as his fingers carefully brushing over her smooth skin. "What would make bruises like these?"

"It was likely a slender rod of some sort. It does not matter. The goal was to create long term pain and they succeeded," Oin stated, continuing his search, before gently turning Emily's arms. Rope burns striped the skin right above each wrist. They were still an angry red color and many still had raw spots that were oozing fluid. Bruises in varying stages patterned her forearms up to the elbows. What surprised the dwarves the most though were large burns on the soft inner skin of her upper arms. It looked as if the elves had held her arms over a burning torch until the skin burned and blistered.

Oin took a large step back and Fili sank to his knees. "By Mahal… How could we have not seen this?"

Fili looked up at the older dwarf, "Because she did not want us to…"

"I need herbs. Go see if Thorin can find me some rosemary, sage, and lavender." Fili looked at him blankly, temporarily frozen.

"Go!" Oin shouted, and Fili ran.


End file.
